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Henley Bank High School

Henley Bank High School

Our Leadership Team

See below for information about our Senior Leadership and Middle Leadership Teams.

Senior Leadership

Mr Derry (Headteacher)
 

Mr Derry

Headteacher



"I am Headteacher here at Henley Bank High School and love my job. I am passionate about education and ensuring that all students have the best chance to succeed in life, regardless of what they choose to go on to do. My degree is in Religion, Philosophy & Theology."

 

Miss Bradbury (Deputy Headteacher)
 

Miss Bradbury

Deputy Headteacher

"I am the deputy head in charge of teaching and learning. This means that I work with all teachers across the school to support us all continuously improving. I work closely with Teach First and the University of Gloucestershire to support trainee teachers as well as the teaching and learning leads across Greenshaw to ensure all teachers at Henley Bank are well supported allowing our students to have the best possible learning experience. 

My favourite part of my job is teaching and I love teaching both geography and history having studied geography at the University of Sheffield."

Mr Dakin (Deputy Headteacher)
 

Mr Dakin

Deputy Headteacher

"I am the Deputy Headteacher in charge of raising standards, curriculum and assessment. This means that I work closely with the year 11 students to ensure that they get the best possible examination outcomes. I also ensure that all year groups have broad, balanced and rich curriculum that provides our students with life changing powerful knowledge.

I am a passionate science and maths teacher and studied chemistry at the University of Bristol for my undergraduate degree."

Mrs Benfield (Assistant Headteacher)
 

Mrs Benfield

Assistant Headteacher 

"I am the Assistant Headteacher in charge of Character Education and Transition. This means that I work closely with our feeder Primary Schools and Head of Year 7 to make sure that our Year 6 students feel ready for Secondary School. I also lead in Careers to help our KS4 students transition through to great Sixth Forms and Colleges. As part of Character Education, I oversee our Legacy Programme which emcompasses the Extra Curricular Clubs, the College System and our new Colours System.

I am a passionate Drama teacher, with a Masters in Theatre and Performance Practice from the University of Plymouth."

Mr Powell (Assistant Headteacher )
 

 Mr Powell

Assistant Headteacher 

"I am the Assistant Headteacher in charge of behaviour and safeguarding. This means that I work closely with all staff to ensure that every minute of every lesson counts, and that all students receive 100% disruption free learning. I also ensure that all our wonderful students are effectively safeguarded so that they can thrive in school and society. 

I am a passionate Physical Education teacher, and studied Sport and Exercise science in Cardiff."

Mrs Kay - (Assistant Headteacher)  

Mrs Kay

Assistant Headteacher 

I am the Assistant Headteacher in charge of safeguarding which means I work on ensuring all of our students are safe and confident in school and the wider world.

I absolutely love my subject, Design and Technology. I studied Creative Contemporary Practice at Leeds Met Uni and then worked in the fashion industry for a number of years before completing my PGCE at Goldsmiths, London.

 

Mr Derbyshire (Assistant Headteacher) 

Mr Derbyshire

Assistant Headteacher

Every morning I go to work with the aim of helping pupils receive the education they deserve and ensuring they leave school with the best possible outcomes. As an English teacher and the Assistant Head for Sixth Form, this is what I will be doing at Henley Bank. After studying Politics and Philosophy (BSc) at the London School of Economics, I completed Teach First in Yorkshire before moving back to Gloucestershire. I love teaching English and this will be clear in my classroom and lessons every day. In my role leading the Sixth Form, I look forward to giving local students the opportunity of academically rigorous and well respected A Levels, that will help to open doors in later life. 

Mr Watson (Assistant Headteacher) 

Mr Watson

Assistant Headteacher

I am the Assistant Head for Raising standards, which means I work closely with year 11s to ensure that all students receive the education that they deserve. I studied Mathematics at the University of Leicester before doing my PGCE at King's College London. I love teaching maths and in particular helping all students to see the joy in maths and to become the best mathematicians they can be. I aim to help all students get the absolute best possible grades that they can achieve.

Middle Leaders

Miss Acland (Head of English)
 

Miss Acland 

Head of English

"After studying for my BA (Hons) in English Literature at the University of Central England in Birmingham, I completed my Masters Degree in English Literature through the Open University. It was then that I decided that I wanted to be a teacher and inspire young minds. I completed my PGCE with the University of Gloucestershire and it is safe to say that this is the most rewarding job I have ever had and I've never looked back."

Mr Partridge (Head of Maths)
 

Mr Partridge

Head of Maths

"Studied at Manchester Metropolitan University BSc(Hons) in English & Mathematics

PGCE at Bath Spa University

MA at Manchester Metropolitan University

Tasked with helping every pupil love Maths and be successful with it. Also overseeing our exciting new journey of implementing computing into our curriculum."

Mrs McNeil (Head of Science)
 

Mrs McNeill

Head of Science

"My role is to oversee the day to day running of the science department.  This involves working with my team to plan and teach a first class science curriculum.  We constantly strive to improve and update our curriculum as new scientific developments emerge.  A large part of my role also involves resourcing our SuperLab and ensuring students have all they need to safely develop their scientific practical skills."

Mr Brookland (Head of Humanities)
 

Mr Brookland

Head of Humanities

"I oversee the subjects Geography, History, Ancient History and Religious Studies. This involves developing the curricula for each of the subjects and developing the staff members in my department to continually improve their pedagogical and subject knowledge to enhance the teaching and learning of and for our students. I, myself, am a Geography specialist. I studied at the University of Brighton and gained a BSc Geography degree. I then continued studying at the University of Brighton, although at the Falmer Campus to achieve a PGCE in Secondary Geography."

Miss Bowers (Head of MFL & Lead Practitioner)  
 

Miss Bowers

Head of MFL & Lead Practitioner

I am Head of Modern Foreign Languages. We teach both French and Spanish and are passionate about engaging with current research in order to give our students the very best chance of success in their language learning journey. I studied at the University of Manchester, including a year abroad in Nantes, France, where I gained a BA in French Studies."

 

 

Miss Leefe (Lead Practitioner) 

Miss Leefe

Lead Practitioner

"In my Lead Practitioner role, I work closely with teachers at the start of their career (trainees and early career teachers). I strongly believe in investing in teacher development so that students get the best education and achieve their full potential. 

I studied Biological Sciences at the University of Exeter. I then continued my studies at the University of Bristol, where I completed my PGCE and Masters in Educational Leadership. Now I have the privilege of teaching Science every day."

 

Mrs Cuke (Head of PE)
 

Mrs Cuke 

Head of PE

"I have been Head of PE here now for 14 years, and was attracted to Gloucester and Henley Bank High School by the vast scenery you can see whilst teaching outside.I attended the University of Winchester to complete a degree in Sports Studies before heading to the University of Chichester to study my PGCE."

 

Mrs Lane (Head of Art & Technology)
 

Mrs Lane

Head of Art & Technology

"As Head of Art and Technology, I oversee the day to day running of our creative suite of subjects which include Art, Design and Technology, Food Science and Computer Science. I am Fine Art trained but have had the exciting opportunity of teaching textiles, photography, graphics and ceramics during my 16 year career in teaching so far. We have a fantastic team of subject experts in our Art and Technology department and our aim is to ensure that all of our students are exposed to a world class curriculum that prepares them for the creative and technological world of tomorrow."

Miss Bick (Head of Vocational)
 

Miss Bick

Head of Vocational 

"I have been head of department for four years at Henley Bank High School and overseen a change in course and sharp rise in student outcomes. I successfully completed a Business degree at Coventry and then went on to work for 15 years as a senior general manager in the hospitality industry. Leaving the private sector to become a teacher and then on to head of department at Henley Bank High School is the best decision I made as inspiring young entrepreneurs and Health professionals is amazing."

Mr Blackwell (Head of Music & Performing Arts)
 

 Mr Blackwell

Head of Music & Performing Arts

"As head of Music and Performing arts, I oversee the day-to-day running of the departments and manage live events such as the school production and various music performances throughout the year. After studying music at college, I graduated from the University of Westminster with a BA Hons—degree in Radio Production. I continued to develop my music production skills post-university before deciding to train to be a teacher and help bring a new modern perspective to music education."

Heads of Year 

Miss Lothian (Head of Year 7 and 8)
 

Miss Lothian 

Head of Year 7 and 8 

Email Miss Lothian  

I am the Head of Years 7 and 8. My role as Head of Year 7 and 8 is to support our students through all aspects of their school life here at Henley Bank High School. I will be there to guide the students through their first year here at Henley Bank High School. I will celebrate successes with them, push them to continuously improve, and guide them through any issues. I am the person students and parents can come to if they have any problems at school. I am also a History teacher, with a passion for Ancient and Medieval History and a desire to continue learning about global history. I completed an MA in Ancient Mediterranean Civilisations at the University of Edinburgh before undertaking my PGCE in Secondary History at Bristol University.

Mr Healy (Head of Year 9) 

Mr Healy

Head of Year 9
Email Mr Healy

I am the Head of Year 9. My role is to support all of our Year 9 students academically as well as pastorally to ensure all students are able to succeed. I am also the Director of Student Fun, a role which allows to provide all students with new experiences through weekly clubs and events.
In addition to these roles I am an enthusiastic PE teacher with a passion for sport, in particular Football and Basketball.

I studied Physical Education at Gloucester, before training as a teacher at the University of Worcester.

Mr Phelps (Head of Year 10) 

Mr Phelps

Head of Year 10
Email Mr Phelps

"My role as Head of Year is to support the students and their families both academically and pastorally.   This is an important year as the students begin to study towards their GCSE exams and start to look at their post-16 options of further study or careers.  As well as my Head of Year role I primarily teach Computer Science and Digital IT. I studied Business Information Systems at the University of the West of England before having a successful career in IT.  I then went on to study at the University of Wales to complete a teaching degree.  I am passionate about all things technical, but also enjoy music and a bit of running."

Mr Powell (Head of Year 11)
 

 Mr Powell

Head of Year 11
Email Mr Powell

"I am the Head of Year 11. This means that I work closely with the year  11 students and their families, providing support both academically and pastorally. I am also a very passionate PE teacher and have a real love for Sport, particularly Rugby and Golf. I will be working closely with the PGCE group from the University of Gloucestershire, acting as a professional mentor."

"I studied Sport Science at Cardiff University whilst playing for the Cardiff Blues Rugby team, and then trained as a teacher at the University of Worcester before moving to Gloucestershire to teach PE."